Saturday, December 29, 2007

Manoj Tripathi, 25th December, 2007, Hindustan Times, The BuzzThe one-day Lal Chand Yamala Jatt Yadgari Mela ended at Fazilka on a colourful note this Sun day, with live performances by various Punjabi folk singers, including Mukhtiar Singh Yamla, Shawinder Mahi and Kawalpreet. The rhythm reverberated by tumbi and dhol cast a spell on the crowd of about 10,000 that thronged the border town. Folk lyrics, rooted deep in the state, dominated the Mela.The Mela began with tributes being paid to the great Tumbi maestro Lal Chand Yamla Jatt by president of Punjabi Sabhyacharak Manch, Rajesh Aneja, chairman Daljit Singh Sarbha and patron Gammdoor Singh, who were the organisers of this event.Lovepreet Bhullar, Rani Randeep and Gurbhej presented songs depicting lifestyle of rural Punjab. Enthusiastic youngsters dancing to songs like 'Tere ne kararan mannu pattia, Heer kali and Manke tutde jande ne.Yamla Jatt's most famous songs were rendered here. The main feature of the Mela were performances by Bhajna Amli and Santi who made the crowd break loose with their rib-tickling jokes.Among those present were Jagdev Singh Jassowal, president of Vishav Punjabi Sabhyachark Manch, former MP Gurdas Badal, MLA Surjit Jayani Gurtej Singh and Shar Singh.Though 'master of laughter' M.P Navjot Singh Sidhu could not make it to the Mela due to Gujarat election, his 10-minute message was enough to keep the audiences thrilled. Jagdev Singh Jassowal expressed happiness over the successful organisation of the Mela and thanked people for cooperation, hoping such cultural events would be fruitful in streamlining youngsters, who were ruining their lives by going into drugs. Nineteen persons, working to bring about a difference in different fields, were also given mementos for their efforts.http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=25_12_2007_134_005&typ=1&pub=722

Punjabi farmers say Dabb ke wah te raj ke kha - plow deep and eat splendidly. Now along comes a progressive farmer who says Akal nal wah te raj ke kha. MANOJ TRIPATHI UNTIL RECENTLY SPINNING ERI SILK YARN WAS A HIGHLY LABORIOUS UNDERTAK- ING. RADITIONALLY, ERI COCOONS WERE SPUN BY PULLING THE FIBER AND SIMULTANE- OUSLY IMPARTING A TWIST TO IT TO FORM THE YARN. BETTER MACHINES HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE TO SPIN MORE YARN QUICKER AND IN FINER COUNTS THAN WAS EVER POSSIBLE BY HAND. N FREE-RANGE POULTRY IS AN ENTERPRISE THAT INTEGRATES WELL WITH COTTON-HYOLA- CASTOR COMBINATION. THE CASTOR PLANT "TRAPS" BUGS AND THE BUGS THEN BECOME A MAJOR PART OF THE CHICKENS' DIET.Sunday Region, P.no-587, 16-12-2007, Hindustan Times

ENGINEER and progressive farmer Sanjeev Nagpal of Fazilka, district Ferozepur, wants farmers to cultivate new habits. And new crops too. Nagpal is the man behind Fazilka-based NASA Agro Industries Ltd. Punjab Agro has stake in NASA while the Central Silk Board and NABARD are also backing the NASA project.Nagpal's fields show-case a new strategy evolved in collaboration with Punjab Agriculture University. It's not just Nagpal's farm. Experiments are being conducted on hundred acres in ten villages in Ferozepur district Nagpal explains: "Punjab farmers have no trouble imagining a threecrop mix but when the crops are castor, cotton and hyola mustard they stand back and scratch their heads. At the same time, they are well aware that the present cropping pattern can't go on."There's no need to explain 'cotton' to a Fazilka farmer and hyola is no mystery either. As a variety, hyola is new but it's very similar to the ordinary variety of sarson that is a standard crop. Hyola is a hybrid rapeseed-mustard that requires much less water than wheat and matures in about 145 days during winter. The best thing about Hyola is that it is resistant to frost and is highly tolerant to white rust so expenditure on crop protection chemicals falls dramatically.But castor? They know what it is, alright. A non-edible oil is pressed from castor seed; the oil has industrial uses, is made into bio-diesel and much of it is exported. The crop flourishes in dry conditions. But where do they sell it? How greatly does the price fluctuate? Is it worth the risk? Nagpal and PAU says plant it.It turns out that castor plants have some unexpected plus-points. It's a "trap crop". The farmer plants five rows of cotton and then one row of castor. Castor attracts pests away from main crops.But here's the BIG plus-point: castor leaves are what the muga-silk moth (Antheraea assama) needs. It lays its eggs on castor leaf, the larvae mature and spin their silky cocoons. The silk is harvested, spun and woven into eri silk. Five distribution and collection centres for the silk will be set up in district Ferozepur. Silk-farmers also get worm excreta which when mixed with castor cake, dry leaves and cow dung forms organic fertilizer.What comes out of a castor crop? Castor seeds yield oil. Castor leaves feed silk-worms and the worm cocoons yield silk and larve go into poultry feed. The castor plants attract insects which are eaten by chickens. All this means that a castor crop can bring in money in several ways.After four years of field trials, Nagpal has concluded that castor pulls in good profit, even on a small holding and it works fine in combination with cotton and hyola. PAU experts say that cotton-hyola-castor mix will provide stability, reduce use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, allow the groundwater table to recharge and create much needed employment opportunities. The aim is to create at least 60000 jobs in rural areas over the next five years. PAU now refers to this triple crop as an agro ecosystem of cultivation and has take up the project for valuation, promotion and farmers training.But the cotton-hyola-castor plan won't work unless farmers get backup and necessary inputs. That is why NASA is going in for "service complexes" that will include nurseries growing quality seeds and seedlings, hatcheries for the right kind of chicks, materials needed for rearing silk-moth larvae and necessary infrastructure for post harvest processing. Says Nagpal: "My idea is to bring together a cluster of industries around Fazilka and have a common packaging facility with a common brand in order to achieve maximum value addition.To maintain farmer's interest to produce more it is important to link farmers to most remunerative market.The target is 20,000 hectares spread over three districts in Punjab's cotton belt under castor. The farmers will have the services of agro parks where all necessary inputs will be provided and which will also function like mandis, handiling crops and linking farmers to buyers. Says Nagpal: "Production by masses should have all the advantages of mass production."The idea is generating a lot of interest in high places. Last week Financial Commissioner (Development) R.S. Sandhu along with director agriculture B.S. Sidhu visited the NASA's experimental farm and appreciated the work.COTTON-BELT CRISIS During the early nineties the boll weevil and bad weather brought cotton farners to rockbottom. Farmers switched to wheat and paddy. But both wheat and paddy are waterguzzlers. The water table has gone down from 30 feet to 300 feet. Excessive use of agrochemicals has poisoned both water and soil and led to major health hazards. As the water table fell the level of fluoride in the water rose - another serious health hazard. People in this region are suffering from many diseases. With cotton crops wiped out, industries dependant on cotton were wiped out too. Yarn and oilseed units had to either close down or scale down. Today cotton-based industries in he region are working for four months in a year and practically the entire population is unemployed for most of the time. Water gets more and more scarce. That means goodbye to paddy. Farmers are going back to cotton - BT cotton. Farmers fear that it is only a matter of time before pests develop a taste for BT. Non-BT cotton means the inevitable high applications of pesticides and insects soon become resistant to pesticide too. How long before it becomes impossible to raise any crop in this region? Obviously new techniques of cultivation are needed that will manage development of immunity and control pest growth. That's where the "trap crop", also called the "refuge crop", comes in. But most farmers are cultivating very small holdings - in many cases less than 2.5 hectare. So a "trap crop" has to generate income as well. Castor meets the need. The proposed cropping pattern meets two needs: It provides:Pest management for sustainable crops. Utilisation in several money-earning ways

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Another reason to feel proud for the entire community of this India’s smallest big town Fazilka. Daughter of Fazilka, Meera Chadha Borwankar, for becoming the first ever woman to be posted as Commissioner of Mumbai Crime Branch in its 150-year-long history. To be a woman police officer in a force that has barely one or two per cent women is unique in itself; but to head an investigative force of 300 police officers is definitely a first. At present she is working as Special Inspector General of Police, CID State Crime Branch, stationed at Pune.

Mumbai's Crime Branch is known as the premier department of the city's police force, handling the investigation of organized and white-collar crime, and law enforcement in the mega-polis. While it didn't exactly cover itself with glory during the Mumbai riots in the early 1990s, it has had to deal with the operations of rival underworld gangs remote controlled by Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan and even the don-turned-politician Arun Gawli. It has had to grapple with criminal cases against big film financiers like Bharat Shah, the ignominious Prevention of Terrorist Act (POTA) case against Mohammad Afroz and myriad encounters against gangsters by trigger-happy cops who call themselves `encounter specialists'.Born and brought up in Fazilka, studies till matriculation from D.C Model School Fazilka. Her father, Mr. O P Chadha, was with the Border Security Force and Posted in Fazilka region till 1971 war. Later she completed her Master's in English Literature from Lyallpur Khalsa College and did her post-graduation from DAV College in Jalandhar, Punjab. She was, by all accounts, a very good student and became head girl of her college. Later, she also studied Policy Analysis in Law Enforcement at the University of Minnesota, USA, was awarded the President's Medal for meritorious service in 1997, apart from the police medal and the Director General’s insignia for meritorious service and Hubert Humphrey Fellowship (2001-2) in three decades of her policing career. During her stint with the state Crime Investigation Department from 1993-95, one of the important cases she investigated was the Jalgaon sex scandalWhile answering to a question about choosing IPS as her career, she said “I was good at studies too, participating in plays, debates, etc. I was also in the Punjab Cricket Team”. So, in general I grew up with no future thoughts, but I was sure I did not want my life to end with marriage. When I was in college, during '71-'72, Kiran Bedi had just joined the IPS and was creating waves. That is when, one day, my teachers called me and told me that they saw within me the potential for the IPS and that I should consider it as a career option. I completed my M.A. In English Literature, cleared my UPSC examinations and did my basic police training at SVP National Police Academy, Hyderabad. She asserts that women are much more patient, resourceful and capable than men. All they need to do is throw away the yoke of selfdoubt and their own insecuritiesIn 1981, she became an IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, served as Deputy Commissioner of Police at Mumbai between 1987-91, held independent charge of Aurangabad as District Superintendent of Police (and later of Satara in 1996-99) and was posted at the state CID crime branch in 1993-95. She worked with the Economic Offences Wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Mumbai and was DIG of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the CBI in New Delhi.She is married to Mr. Abhay Borwankar, who quit the Indian Administrative Service to start a food-processing business. She has two children and they presently live in Pune with family.Her immediate ongoing tasks are the extradition case of gangsters like Abu Salem and his partner Monica Bedi from Portugal, Iqbal Mirchi and Tariq Parvin from Dubai and Sharmila Shanbhag from Germany.Entire Fazilka is proud on her achievements. It is wonderful to have such police officers in our country. We wish Fazilite Meera a bright and further satisfying career ahead. She would be a source of motivation to thousands of young girls in the country. We all know this upright and down-to earth and no-nonsense officer will achieve greater heights and fulfill her mission for the good of the nation! May God Bless Her in All Her Endeavors and Godspeed!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Anilesh S Mahajan TNN11th December, 2007Chandigarh: The streets of Amritsar, which give the city an almost medieval feel are the most dangerous in Punjab when it comes to severity of accidental deaths. As per the analysis by TRRIP, IIT Delhi, 863 people die for every 1,000 accidents in the city. Meanwhile, on crash ratio value, six districts of Punjab are above the state’s average of 11.4 crashes per year for 10,000 registered vehicles. Jalandhar (5.9), Amritsar (5.5) and Ferozepur (8.5) follow Faridkot (4.1). Worse among all districts are Fathegarh Sahib (38.5) and Rupnagar (36.3). “This means there is a problem of infrastructure more than anything else,” said Navdeep Asija, scientist at IIT Delhi, who conducted the analysis with the help of Harpreet Kahlon, who runs an NGO here. When it comes to severity of the accidents in the state, Amritsar is followed by Jalandhar (759), Gurdaspur (736) and Mukatsar (731). The study also showed that although their were more accidents in Ludhiana, the severity there was less. “Ludhiana has more vehicles and hence the high number of accidents, but the severity is low,” added Asija. The 2006 accident figures in Punjab were taken into account for the study. It was found that as per the crime records bureau figures, Punjab has the lowest number of accident cases but when it came to severity it was third among all states in the country. Speaking to TOI, Punjab’s IG Traffic HS Dhillon said he is aware of the situation, and doing his bit to improve it. “Most of the accidents in the state take place because of drunk driving and speeding,” he said. “We have finalized the speed graphs for all the roads in the state and would be displaying them soon. Chief secretary has cleared the file for that,” he said. He said that the matter of constituting the Punjab safety council was pending with the government. Scientists recommend The scientists have recommended that the state should have its own online road crash database management system, where scientifically collected traffic and road crash data at the level of various administrative units is available. Punjab government should also ensure the implementation of road safety audits on all upcoming and existing roads in the state. There should be special focus on improving road safety measures and increasing traffic awareness among drivers. Also there should be better medical facilities in case accidents do take place. Cranes and ambulances should be easily available. Special steps should be taken to decrease the speed of vehicles in districts with high crash severity like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur and Muktsar.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071211/cth3.htm#11Megha MannTribune News ServiceKharar, December 10Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar and Patiala are the worst districts in terms of road safety and traffic management in Punjab.According to an analysis done by Navdeep Asija, scientist with Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP), on road safety in Punjab for 2006, these districts have been found to have an alarmingly high rate of accidents.Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar have the highest crash ratio and lowest vehicle density.In 2006, when Mohali was part of Ropar district, maximum number of accidents took place on the Kharar-Kurali stretch leading up to Ropar.The stretch handles the entire traffic of Punjab towards Chandigarh.The district-wise breakup in terms of fatal accidents puts Ludhiana on top, followed by Amritsar and Jalandhar.However, detailed road safety diagnosis on all districts based on severity index, crash ratio, total road length and vehicle density shows a different picture, as Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts come under high alert category. These are followed by Patiala, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar and Nawan Shahr districts.“Detailed analysis on this parameter reflects the problem of traffic mismanagement in these districts. Every year, insurance companies give away Rs 1,200 crore in form of motor vehicle claims in the state. Even if 10 per cent of this money is spent on research and development on preventive measures and introducing new road technologies, things will be much better,” Navdeep added.He has sent this analysis with a set of recommendations to DIG, SSP and DCs of all districts of the state.He has also recommended that safety should be prime concern of every contractor undertaking any road project. “Safety concern is nobody’s baby. When the state government is not committed towards safeguarding lives of pedestrians, cyclists and other commuters, why will private contractors be?” he added.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Special Thanks to Mr. Harman Sidhu, President, ArriveSafe, Chandigarh Based NGO, working in the area of road safety for helping me to perform this analysis. http://www.arrivesafe.org/

Faridkot and Firozpur districts are the best and Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala and Roopnagar districts are the worse districts in terms of overall Road safety and Management in the district

Statistical analysis was performed on the Punjab Statistical Abstract for the year 2006, Section XXI, Transport and Communications. Even single road crash and fatality is a loss of nation, family and society. These road safety analyses are performed to highlight the safety situation in Punjab and the comparison of road safety situation amongst various districts of Punjab, so that suitable countermeasures at individual/institutional/NGO and government level shall be taken up to save the precious life of people. Basically these are broad road safety analysis; further these analyses at district/tehsil/village level shall perform to enhance the overall road safety situation in the state. As the more number of high speed corridors are coming up in the state resulting increased road fatalities; in last year road crash fatalities increased by 8.26%, whilst vehicle population increased by 6.75%. Details are discussed below;

AbstractIn the year 2006 total 4599 road crash occurred on 63102[1] km long road network in state which includes 1729 km of National Highways in 17 districts of the state. Registration of total 4030914 motor vehicles was reported in the year 2006 with an annual growth of 6.75% in comparison to last year growth of 7%.

MethodologyDetailed statistical analysis was performed on the district wise road crash and road length data of Punjab state. Followings are the key indicators considered for the analysis purpose:-Severity Index

Severity Index

It indicates that severity of the road crash in the district depends upon many factors, like average vehicle speed in the district, number of vehicles, percentage of National Highways or High Speed corridors in the state etc. Severity Index of the Punjab state was found to be 60.7%, which means 60.7% of the total road crashes occurred in the state are turned out to be Fatal.

Crash Ratio

It indicates the number of road crashes occurred per 10000 registered motor vehicles in the district. Crash ratio of the Punjab state was found to be 11.4 .Only 6 districts were found to be having crash ratio below state’s average value

Vehicle Density (Vehicle per Kilometer)

Vehicle density was calculated as mentioned above. It indicates the number of vehicles per kilometer of road length in the district. Vehicle density for the Punjab state in the year 2006 was 63.9 vehicles/per kilometer of road length.

Observations:

Considering, the number of fatal accidents district wise then probably Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar are the most unsafe districts in terms of Road Safety, but detailed road safety diagnosis on all the districts based upon the severity index, crash ratio, total road length and vehicle density in the district, resulted in altogether different trends. Whereas Faridkot district shows an excellent road safety and management record followed by district Ferozpur. Fathegarh Sahib, Rupnagar and Patiala were found out to be worse Hit. Based upon the vehicle density and severity Index Amritsar district is on alarming stage, in 86.3% of the total road crashes people died.

6 districts are below the state’s average crash ratio value 11.4, Faridkot is lowest amongst all followed by Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ferozpur. Worse amongst all districts is Fathegarh Sahib and Rupnagar with highest crash ratio and lowest vehicle density.

Generally, as the vehicle density (vehicle per km) goes up, the average speed goes down and that reduces the road crashes. Delhi also followed the same trend, during Asian games (1981) in Delhi; new roads were constructed and widened which resulted in an increased road traffic speed causes highest number of road fatalities in the same year in comparison to previous years. At present in Delhi it road crash fatalities has started going down because of the more number of the vehicles on road and this causing reduction in average speed. Last year total road fatalities in Delhi were reported below 2000.

Coming to Punjab State, reversal is happening in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar District. Crash ratio of Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar districts is 38.5 and 36.3 respectively; this simply reflects the poor traffic management system, deteriorated road condition and minimum speed control by the local administration and district traffic police. However it is important to note that Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar districts have 0.8% and 2.8% of National Highways in their total road length, still causing more fatal road crashes in comparison to Ferozpur and Faridkot district which has 5.1% and 3.8% of National Highways Length in their total road length. Interestingly Ferozpur and Faridkot has got lowest crash ratio in the state. On all India basis 70% of the total road crashes occurs only on National Highways and length of National Highways is 2% of the total road length of India. Ferozpur and Faridkot districts having maximum road length of National Highways shows significant low crash ratio, which is a good indication of overall Traffic Management and Safety in the district.

If we take number of fatal accidents per 1000 km of the road length in the districts then Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar falls into same category. These districts were having 50% high fatalities rate per 1000 km of the road length in comparison to the state’s average which is 44.3.

Talking about Amritsar alone, despite of this fact that crash ratio is 5.5 but Severity Index is 86.3%, which means high average speed in the district, more vulnerable victims like cyclist or pedestrians and more heavy vehicles involved in the road crashes turning 86.3% of all the road crashes into fatal. This needs immediate attention from the authorities.District Rupnagar and Fathegarh sahib are on high alert followed by Patiala, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar and Nawanshahar districts. Government and local administration should take immediate steps to improve the road safety and management scenario in these districts to save the valuable lives of road users.RecommendationsState’s own online road crash database management system, where scientifically collected traffic and road crash data at village/block/tehsil/road/district wise can be update regularly by various concern agencies. This will help to access the overall road safety conditions in the state.As per Ministry of Road Surface and Transportation, government of India, Punjab government shall also ensure the implementation of Road safety audits on all upcoming and existing roads in the state. Upcoming BOT roads shall be taken on priority to check overall road safety conditions, specifically in view of heterogeneous nature of traffic in the state like slow and fast moving traffic on the same road.Special focus by the government on the pre-crash treatments like road safety audits, safety awareness amongst road users, drivers training along with focusing specifically on Post crash conditions like providing Ambulances and Cranes and First Aid. Pre-crash treatments.Strong enforcement to control the speed preferably by installing traffic calming devices specially in the districts where severity index is very high like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur and Muktsar.Special and strong policies to control land use and parking pattern in the state to discourage the use of more motorised vehicles in the state.

[1] Maintained by P.W.D. (B&R), Punjab, Chief Conservator of Forest, Punjab Commander Works Engineer, Patiala, Punjab State Electricity Board, Central Public works department, Madhopur division and local bodies Govt., Punjab. it does not include the length of small rural roads under different agencies like Panchayat, Irrigation department and private people

Thursday, December 6, 2007

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071206/bathinda.htm#9Fazilka, December 5The Czech Republic Magazine Carbuster in its 32nd issue, focusing on the theme ‘faith and environment” has selected Fazilka as the first Asian town for adopting the best energy saving practices to fight against global warming in transportation.Fazilka has set the best example to reduce the effect of global warming. Using religion and world car free network, the city has been successful in bringing together organisations and individuals dedicated to promoting alternatives to car dependence at the local level and working to reduce the human impact on natural environment while improving the quality of life for all.The campaign was started by the Patron of Graduates Welfare Association Fazilka (GWAF), Bhupinder Singh, on April 22 on the occasion of ‘Earth Day’ by organising a cycle rally for senior citizens followed by installing hoardings of holy messages from Shri Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Nanak Dev Ji on ‘Dharti Tapan’ (global warming) in Fazilka.The campaign got an impetus this year when global warming became the theme of the “Fazilka Heritage Festival-2007.”According to a survey conducted by Bhupinder Singh, at present, Fazilka generates 17.5 tons of solid waste every day. Residents have been called upon to stop the use of plastic ware and use CFL lamps instead of the conventional electric bulbs to conserve energy.Singh maintains that Fazilka is the safest town as no pedestrian and cyclist’s death has been reported in road mishaps within the city zone for a long time.It is primarily because of 160-year-old narrow residential streets design by the erstwhile East India Company.To protect the environment, a slogan “Ganga Maiyaa Hum Tere Apradhi, Prayshchit Karenge Cycle Chala Kar, Ped Laga Kar” has been chosen due to the alarming situation arising out of the shrinking of Sunderban delta every year.One thousand tree samplings have been planted along the Freedom Fighter road in the last five years. This stretch of road and its surrounding areas has been successfully converted into a zero-pollution zone.The Indian Army has planted more than 9,000 tree samplings in and around Fazilka to bring more land under a green cover. 500 tree samplings have been planted and maintained by progressive farmers at different places.This year, more than 3000 ‘sheesham’ samplings were gifted and planted by the progressive farmers.Sub-divisional magistrate of Fazilka Rajiv Prashar has also taken up an initiative to check environmental pollution by imposing a ban on all school children up to the age of 18 years from going to school on automobiles.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071119/bathinda.htm#8Fazilka, November 18The second food art and cultural festival —- Fazilka Heritage Festival: Mehak Sarhad Di-2007 – will be organised here from November 22 to 25 next. The festival, aimed at promoting the culture of Fazilka at international level, would be organised by the Graduate Welfare Association, Fazilka.It will also promote Punjabiat and establish Fazilka as a brand city that in turn supports local handicraft, workers, sweet makers and is likely to generate employment opportunity through tourism in the region.Padam Shree Pushpa Hans Nite would be one of highlights of the heritage festival.A folk dance night to commemorate Baba Pokhar Singh, founder of Jhumar dance, Kanwar Mohinder Singh Bedi “Sahar” night, a poetical evening to commemorate renowned Urdu Poet “Sahar” of Fazilka, Live DJ performances and shows in front of Fazilka’s historical clock tower on the pattern of Jhankata Penda Gali Gali, screening of Punjabi and Hindi movies, would also be organised during the fest.“Fauz”, a live band and special performances by the Indian Armed Forces to commemorate the saviours of Fazilka town, “Paridhan” a fashion event based on the theme “Fazilka Revisited” and Fazilka Carnival would be the other attractions during the festival.Lectures and live show with “ArriveSafe” theme by a Chandigarh-based NGO to promote road safety wil also be displayed at the festival.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071126/bathinda.htm#5Fazilka, November 25On the concluding day of Fazilka Heritage Festival, hundreds of youths pledged to ensure reduction in environment pollution. The motive was to create awareness about the detrimental affects of increasing environment pollution and risks of the phenomenon called global warming.It was also an endeavour to promote use of bicycles to save fuel and save the environment by growing more plants. The youths also vowed to minimise the use of polythene bags.Members of the Graduates Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF), the Students for Society Organisation, Fazilka, the Punjab Sabhyacharak Manch, Fazilka and the Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army jointly organised a cycle rally through the main markets in an endeavour to motivate people to ride bicycles as far as possible instead of using vehicles run on petrol or diesel.Third and the last day of the festival was observed as “Baba Pokhar Dass Nite”. On the occasion, over 20 teams presented Punjabi folk dances, including Bhangra, Gidha and Jhumar.The novel attraction at the programme was the auction of a replica of Fazilka’s famous clock tower.The organisers said the amount received from the auction would be utilised for next year celebrations.Fazilka Heritage Festival patron Dr Bhupinder Singh, secretary Navdeep Asija said considering the success of the festival in which thousands from the city and the surrounding areas had participated, it has been decided that next year, the festival would be celebrated for one week.The festival had concluded around midnight

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071126/bathinda.htm#5Fazilka, November 25On the concluding day of Fazilka Heritage Festival, hundreds of youths pledged to ensure reduction in environment pollution. The motive was to create awareness about the detrimental affects of increasing environment pollution and risks of the phenomenon called global warming.It was also an endeavour to promote use of bicycles to save fuel and save the environment by growing more plants. The youths also vowed to minimise the use of polythene bags.Members of the Graduates Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF), the Students for Society Organisation, Fazilka, the Punjab Sabhyacharak Manch, Fazilka and the Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army jointly organised a cycle rally through the main markets in an endeavour to motivate people to ride bicycles as far as possible instead of using vehicles run on petrol or diesel.Third and the last day of the festival was observed as “Baba Pokhar Dass Nite”. On the occasion, over 20 teams presented Punjabi folk dances, including Bhangra, Gidha and Jhumar.The novel attraction at the programme was the auction of a replica of Fazilka’s famous clock tower.The organisers said the amount received from the auction would be utilised for next year celebrations.Fazilka Heritage Festival patron Dr Bhupinder Singh, secretary Navdeep Asija said considering the success of the festival in which thousands from the city and the surrounding areas had participated, it has been decided that next year, the festival would be celebrated for one week.The festival had concluded around midnight

Anilesh S Mahajan TNNNovermber, 21, 2007Chandigarh: It may be called as the first citizen effort to turn to the compact fluorescent light (CFL) lamps and Fazilka would be the first city in Punjab to accept it. This effort has come without any government’s initiative in this regard. The NGO, Graduate Welfare Association of Fazilka (GWAF) has impressed upon all the traders in the city to not only promote CFL, but also to sell it on ‘no profit no loss’ basis during the Fazilka heritage festival starting from November 22 to 25. The theme of the festival is global warming. “Conservation of energy is an important issue for the state as well as for the nation. As citizens of the country we have to save energy, when we told this to the people here, they agreed to turn on to CFL lamps,” said Dr Bhupinder Singh, a retired professor of IIT Roorkee and founder of GWAF. “When citizens are told about the benefits it can give to them as well as to the state, they readily acquiesce to the change,” he added. Fazilka electricity parts dealers’ association chief Pradeep Ahuja added that they would be selling only CFL during the festival in the city. “We cannot offer subsidies, but this would be our initiative towards the mission,” he added. Moreover, all the leading business houses in the city have been asked to turn to CFL and they have agreed to it. Vikram Ahuja of farm solutions said that he has already changed the lamps and have asked other to do so. GWAF has a good influence over most of the citizens in the town, as most of the graduates are its members. It believes that this would set an example for the rest of the state. It is worth mentioning here that the Punjab government and Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has already turned on to CFL. In comparison to the incandescent lamp used by the domestic users, one sixth to one-fourth energy is saved. It is promoted by the PSEB and Central Electricity Commission (CEC) too.

The three-day Fazilka heritage festival started on Thursday evening to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the town. Organised by Graduates Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF) in association with Punjabi Sabhyacharak Manch, the opening session was inaugurated by Brig Rajiv Bhutani at Ram Press premises.The first evening of the festival was dedicated to the renowned poet and writer of the area-Kanwan Mahinder Singh Bedi Sahar. A colourful programme studded with songs, dance and 'mushaira' marked the opening. Historical clock tower of Fazilka is also lit up delightfully.Stalls, displaying specialties and culture of Fazilka, are set up. These include stalls of juttis, quality agricultural products produced in the Fazilka belt. Besides, meaningful exhibitions on issues such as female foeticide, environmental pollution are also on display. A stall of traditional Rajasthani food and famous pakkhis, handmade sarpo (chapatti boxes) attracted a large number of visitors.GWAF patron Bhupinder Singh and president Umesh Chander Kukkar and secretary Navdeep Asija said that the heritage festival is being celebrated to keep the culture and heritage of the historical border town alive. They said that this festival would enable the younger generation to know the glorious history of the town

Hindustan Times : Manoj Tripathihttp://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=26_11_2007_134_006&typ=1&pub=722The three-day Fazilka Heritage Festival concluded here on Saturday evening with an overwhelming participation from the local residents.Baba Pokhar Dass Nite was organised the last day to remember the noted Jhumar dance artiste of Fazilka. Artistes from different schools, dance club including GMP Fire Group, Zindva Group, Arniwla, Godwin Public School, Ghallu and others took part in the event.Jawans of Infantry Brigade took out a bicycle rally against air pollution. GWAF members, Punjabi Sab hyacharak Manch, Army Wives Welfare Association and residents of Fazilka pledged to protect the environment by minimising the use of polythene bags, planting trees and creating a green belt.A replica of the famous clock tower of Fazilka enclosed in a glass box was auctioned to raise funds for next year's Fazilka Heritage Festival. Vansh Chuchra, an artist's family, offered the highest bid of Rs 18,000 for the tower's model.The festival's patron Dr Bhupinder Singh and secretary Navdeep Asija said the festival would be celebrated for one whole week next year onwards

India’s smallest big town, inviting people across the country and continent to come and discover the rich heritage and culture of Fazilka.

It gives us immense pleasure to announce the dates for Fazilka’s Second annual, food, art and cultural festival “FAZILKA HERITAGE FESTIVAL -Mehak Sarhad Di-2007” from 22nd to 25th November 2007. Started in the year 2006 under the aegis of the Graduates Welfare Association Fazilka®, the Fazilka Heritage Festival is an annual feature ornamenting the fair face of the city of Fazilka. Fazilka Heritage Festival is an offering sublime not just for the music and art lovers of Fazilka but also for those of the entire state of Punjab and region put together. Conceived and planned as a cultural event showcasing the various aspects of art, music and food culture of the erstwhile Fazilka with a view to injecting a fresh lease of life into them, the Festival is literally an art and cultural extravaganza. Fazilka Heritage Festival 2007 brings out this very spirit alive in the shape of a mega cultural fest where cultures unite, wits battle, ideas and imaginations evolve creating a joint and ever lasting euphemism. The cultural facet of the event provides a podium for creative and imaginative display of teams, talent, ideas and thoughts. The season is all set and the mood is like never before. Fazilka Heritage Festival 2007 promises to be a much bigger, broader and better affair that will go down the memories as a sophisticated as well as enjoyable event - the basic essence of this festival. The main aim of this heritage festival is to promote Fazilka’s rich culture and heritage worldwide. This event will not only promote the vibrancy of Fazilka’s culture and Punjabiat in the border region of Punjab but also will help to establish Fazilka as a Brand city. This branding will directly or indirectly support the local handicraft, workers, sweet makers and will generate employment opportunity through tourism in the region for many.

Teams meet from corners of the country, and we have confluence of ideas. The vision of Fazilka Heritage Festival continues to be. The targets that we set out last year, in Mehak Sarhad Di, we managed to achieve, and our goals are set higher now.

The main highlights of this mega event shall be;Our Legends1. Padamshree Pushpa Hans Night –Singing night in the honour of Veteran Punjabi singer and daughter of Fazilka Padamshree Pushpa Hans2. Folk Dance Night – In the memory of Late Baba Pokhar Singh, founder of Jhummar dance.3. Chankata Penda Gali Gali – Live DJ performances and live shows in front of Fazilka’s historic building Clock Tower.4. Panorama Section – this event will showcase Punjabi and Hindi moviesCar free Zones5. Pedestrian and bicycle friendly food street – This will not improve the health of participants through walking but here you can also taste the delicious food of Malwa region of Punjab around clock tower.6. Artist’s corner –, where on the both sides of the roads, local artist will display their products related to handicrafts and traditional fine arts.7. Safety Zone – lecture and live shows in association with ArriveSafe , Chandigarh based NGO to promote road safety amongst users especially school childrenThe Community8. Fauj – live band and special performances by Indian Armed forces, the savoir of Fazilka town.9. Rang Manch – Nukkar Theatre event dedicated to street and stag plays by various participants groups across the country.10. Paridhan- A fashion event based upon the theme Fazilka revisited.11. Fazilka Carnival Prade – Parade by the participants, Indian Defense Forces and school children, displaying various forms of Fazilka’s lifestyle.12. The Great Fazilite Dream – If you’ve ever thought some of a vision/change/mechanism to make our city a progressive and better place, we appreciate you. The rest if follow suit. “The Great Fazilite Dream” brings you a confluence of such ideas where dreams are discussed. Dreams that would shape the portrait of tomorrow.and many others fine and performing art events.

This year “FAZILKA RATTAN” awards during the festival shall be given to these five dignitaries who brought laurels to the name of city Fazilka - Padamshree Fazilite Smt. Pushpa Hans, World famous neurologist Fazilite (Dr.) Jagjit Chopra, , Fazilite Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi “Sahar”, a famous urdu poet , Fazilite (Dr.) Harpreet Singh, HOD, Department of Electronics, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA and Fazilite Sardar Gurbachan Singh Brar, former captain of Indian Hockey Team.

Last year, pedestrianisation in Fazilka through festival was appreciated by Transport Department, University of Vienna, Austria. In continuation to that, this year festival theme has been chosen as “Global Warming”. During festival time, special emphasis shall be given to keep the city as pedestrian and cycle friendly. This will the recorded as worlds most eco friendly festival, use of plastic in terms of carry bag shall be banned during and after the festival. At present Fazilka generates 17.5 tons of solid waste everyday. Local volunteers shall be trained to promote for the best waste management practices.

To facilitate the participants, an official website http://www.fazilkafestival.org/ for the event has been launched. Registration for participation in the competition and cultural events has started. Sponsors, exhibitors and volunteers can directly register through this website. This website is a brainchild of Mr. Gautam Chaudhary, a 17 years old 11th standard student from Fazilka.

Registration through mobile- To facilitate people we have also launched a mobile site wap.fazilkafestival.org . One can also register by visiting this site through their Mobile browsers. ( Additional Data cost may be applicable, depend upon the service provider while opening this site)

We have added a ‘Link to Us’ section from where you can get HTML Codes for Fazilka Heritage Festival Banners and you can use the same in all those websites where which allow use of HTML. For example, you can use these in the Scrapbooks of your friends in orkut and thus help in the promotion. These HTML Codes will work in most of the sites.

You can also subscribe to our RSS Feeds to get latest news and information about Fazilka Heritage Festival. A weekly newsletter shall be launched to apprise you development of the festival. You can subscribe by clicking on the RRS Sign in the left top and bottom corners of our website. Or by directly adding the address “http://fazilkafestival.org/rss/feed.xml“ to a RSS Feed reader.

So guys tighten up your belt to fly with us on a journey called Fazilka Heritage Festival.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

The Tribune, Bathinda Edition, Punjab, 1st October, 2007 http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071101/bathinda.htm#2Punjab cycles its way to eco-friendlinessBy Navdeep AsijaFazilka, October 31The number of bicycle users in Punjab is among the highest in the country, proving amply that people here understand the meaning of sustainable development.According to an analysis conducted by Navdeep Asija of Fazilka, who has done his Masters in Geotech and Geo-environmental Engineering from IIT Delhi, cycle density per 10,000 people in Punjab is the highest compared to states that have a similar terrain and geographical conditions, except for the hill states. His research is based on the 2001 census.State Loves To PedalA study says that cycle density per 10,000 people in Punjab is the highest compared to other states.Asija's analysis reveals that as per capita income in the states is going up, the number of cycle users is going down. This is the trend in states like Haryana, Maharashtra, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.But Punjab has shown an altogether different trend. Despite the fact that Punjab has the maximum per capita income (as per 2001 data), after Goa, the Punjabi's love for the bicycle has not gone down. Almost every second occupied household in Punjab has a minimum of one bicycle.The high density of non-motorised mode of transportation proves that Punjab is moving ahead as far as ecologically sustainable development is concerned. \n\u003cp\>In Punjab, there are 1,257 cycle users for every 10,000 persons while in Haryana, it is just 835 users per 10,000 people. \n\u003cp\>A research conducted by Urja Purash of Uttarakhand Dr Bhupinder Singh, a retired professor at IIT Roorkee, reveals that to burn one litre of fuel, 15.2 kg of air from the atmosphere is needed. \n\u003cp\>Based on this, if we consider the average daily length of a cyclist's trip as 5-6 km in a day; then one cycle user is saving half a litre of fuel and 7.6 kg of fresh air. Therefore, the high density of cycle users in the state is also contributing to the preservation of environment a daily basis. \n\u003cp\>Other states, which have a lower but comparable result in terms of cycle density, are Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is so because of lower per capita income, between Rs 5000 to Rs 7000 per annum, as modes of motorised transport can be an expensive affair. Punjab is equally attracted to other modes of motorised transport but here, bicycle has not been ignored by the people. Cycling is a simple way towards improving public health. With more people taking to bicycles to commute, communities experience reduced traffic snarls, improvement in air quality and greater physical fitness, all beneficial to people.

The high density of non-motorised mode of transportation proves that Punjab is moving ahead as far as ecologically sustainable development is concerned.In Punjab, there are 1,257 cycle users for every 10,000 persons while in Haryana, it is just 835 users per 10,000 people.A research conducted by Urja Purash of Uttarakhand Dr Bhupinder Singh, a retired professor at IIT Roorkee, reveals that to burn one litre of fuel, 15.2 kg of air from the atmosphere is needed.Based on this, if we consider the average daily length of a cyclist's trip as 5-6 km in a day; then one cycle user is saving half a litre of fuel and 7.6 kg of fresh air. Therefore, the high density of cycle users in the state is also contributing to the preservation of environment a daily basis.Other states, which have a lower but comparable result in terms of cycle density, are Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is so because of lower per capita income, between Rs 5000 to Rs 7000 per annum, as modes of motorised transport can be an expensive affair.Punjab is equally attracted to other modes of motorised transport but here, bicycle has not been ignored by the people.Cycling is a simple way towards improving public health. With more people taking to bicycles to commute, communities experience reduced traffic snarls, improvement in air quality and greater physical fitness, all beneficial to people.

MAKING JUTTIS NEEDS NO MACHINERY; THEY ARE ONE HUNDRED PER CENT HAND-MADE. BUTCRAFTSMEN NEED HELP A FAMILY HAS TO WORK AT LEAST 12 HOURS TO PRODUCE THREE-FOURPAIRS OF JUTTIS & EARN Rs 35-Rs 40 A DAY

Who can forget Surinder Kaur singing ‘Jutti Kasuri peri na poori hai rabba sanu turna paiya?' With its reference to Ka sur, the song certainly has a pre-47 flavour, but maybe you don't know that Kasuri juttis are still easily available on our side of the border. Same extra-durable heavy tanning, same distinctive dabka work on the upper - but made in Fazilka! In the wake of Partition scores of shoe-making families migrated to Fazilka from Kasur and set up their workshops afresh. About 200 families are engaged in the manufacture of these song-celebrated shoes. Fazilka's annual output is about 1.2 lakh pairs with turnover Rs 240 lakh.The demand for juttis has seen ups and downs over the past 60 years but it has never dried up completely In. fact, in recent years, demand has been brisk with orders coming in not only from Punjab but from distant parts of India and even from foreign retailers.

Another thing about the footwear that Fazilka now calls its own - it has admirers in all kinds of high places. Sukhbir Badal prefers juttis from Fazilka and so does Jagmeet Brar. These shoes definitely cut across party lines. Film star Juhi Chawla swears by 'em and so does Jimmy Shergill. In fact, who would think of visiting Fazilka and not making a beeline for Indra Market where dozens of shops are stacked floor to ceiling with these slippers.

Traditionally the colours were only black, shades of tan and a unique deep red but with the advent of more sophisticated dyes - and changing tastes - juttis are made in all sorts of colours. Match any outfit! "The traditional designs still attract the maximum number of cus tomers," says shoemaker Dalip Kumar. However, he hastens to add that his workmen are fully capable of producing more ‘modern' styles, including uppers with cutwork, braid or crimp finish.

‘Workmen', did we say? Actually , making a pair of jutti is a whole-fami ly exercise with women carrying out the embroidery and detailing - or as they call it tila bharai. An artisan family on an average produces about three pairs of jutti every day working , up to 12 hours a day .

Buffalo leather is used for the soles and goat leather is taken for the uppers. The special tanning process makes buffalo leather supple and superior to the camel leather commonly used in juttis from Rajasthan. "Their juttis are hard; ours are soft and pliable," says Dalip.

It is back-breaking work - literally The older workers can no longer . stand straight - their spines are permanently curved from hunching over the cobblers' last. If a family can manage to turn out three pair of jutti per day it will earn about Rs 35 to Rs 40 - that is, about Rs 18 to 20 per pair.

Now are you remembering the prices from the last time you shopped for juttis? The simplest pair went for Rs 200, those with a bit of embroidery were priced from Rs 500 to Rs 750 and the heavily embroidered pairs went up to about Rs 1,500. Prices in Fazilka's bazaars is much less but even then a simple pair of jutti will cost not less than Rs 90.

"Middle men profit, not us producers," shrugs Dalip.

Middlemen are only one of many problems. Jutti Manufacturers Union president Subhash Chandra Dhalia has them all on his fingertips: "Juttis are at the top of the list when anyone names Punjab's handicrafts. The government says it wants to encourage and preserve traditional crafts and help craftsmen, but we get no help at all. Neither from the Centre, state government, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, nor from any of those big Delhi NGOs like CAPART. We are left to sink or swim by ourselves. Himachal, Haryana and Rajasthan levy no tax on juttis but Punjab taxes our product. We need a research and design centre to help us upgrade our shoes and cater to modern tastes. A centre could improve the skills of even the illiterate mochis. Leather is more and more costly and no one engaged in this trade has any margin to let him build up a stock of leather to tide over the fluctuations in price. Moreover, juttis sell mainly in the winter months and we face a long lean period for the rest of the year. In actual fact, we don't get bank loans; either we manage from our own capital or take loans from moneylenders who charge interest of even 50 per cent. Some of them cheat us too. We need micro-credit schemes and marketing assistance."

In the first week of October the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce for the Leather Workers visited Fazilka and saw the notso-good condition of the industry . The committee's answer to the problems is "form a cooperative society" and members urged the local administration to help the artisans to form a coop which would be eligible for many benefits. But Dhalia points out: "We have a cooperative but its just on paper and completely non-functional. Why start a new one if we have never been able to set the old one right? Marketing is the key, we want a tax holiday to encourage this handicraft industry and government help for direct retailing so that we would actually benefit from consumer demand. We keep hearing about all kinds of government schemes to help the economy in border areas. Fazilka is right on the border. Why is there nothing for us?"

Making juttis needs no machinery; they are one hundred per cent handmade. The craftsmen are still there, they still have the skills, but they need help. "If this is not forthcoming, then the younger generation will seek any other kind of employment and traditional juttis will vanish from the landscape of Punjab forever," warns Dhalia.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

This modified phrase holds valid for the farmers of Malwa region Punjab, especially Fazilka belt who brought their area under the cultivation of Pusa-1121 hybrid variety of Rice. People are bound to modify this phrase due to changed policy and last minute notification by centre government for the rating Pusa-1121 as non-basmati rice. Punjab State government also seems, not very serious about farmer’s this problem.

Pusa-1121 is an evolved (hybrid) variety of rice developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Pusa-1121 has similarities with an earlier IARI hybrid, Pusa Basmati-1 (PB-1), which was approved for commercial cultivation in 1989. Their grains of Pusa-1121 also display the traits associated with basmati: Distinct aroma, non-stickiness and elongation upon cooking

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on October 9, 2007 imposed the ban on non-basmati rice. This happened after Pusa-1121 was sown by the farmers keeping in mind that it belonged to the Basmati category.

The distinct advantage of this crop from conventional Paddy (Parmal) is it’s sowing in monsoon season which is June-July. This directly or indirectly results, saving in ground water, power consumption and minimal use of pesticides. Due to its distinct advantages last year, Malwa region farmer, the most advanced region of farming in the state adopted this change from conventional paddy (Parmal) crop cultivation to Pusa-1121. Last year, an estimated area of about 10000 acres was brought under Pusa-1121 cultivation mainly in Fazilka, Jalalabad (W), Mukatsar, Ferozepur, Guruharsahai, Faridkot, Kotkapura and Gidderbaha of malwa belt. Pusa-1121 was also promoted by Markfed, Pepsi and other agro based agencies.

The irony though is that 1121 is notified as non- basmati on the contrary, the government has included Shabnam as basmati variety this year. The reason: The official definition of `basmati' requires at least one of the two parents to be a traditional basmati land race. In this case, only the grandparents happen to be `pure' basmati lines. "We need to adopt a trait-cum-geographical indication based definition instead of a narrow parentage-based definition. “As long as a particular variety exhibits all basmati traits and is grown within the region, does it matter whether these are inherited through parents or grand-parents," said Vikram Ahuja, a progressive farmer and founder of Zamindara Farmsolutions.

Last week when these farmers brought their crop to the Fazilka Mandi, the price was rupees 2050 /- per quintal. But the prevailing price what farmers are getting in the order of rupees 1450/- per quintal. If they take it back the crop back to the village, this will add additional loss of rupees 100/- per quintal in terms of cost of loading, unloading and transportation. The estimated loss against the earlier price would be rupees 15,000/- per acre. According to Mr Ravi Doda and executive member of Aartia Association Fazilka, Fazilka mandi alone is expecting arrival of 150 thousand quintal of Pusa-1121 crop in this season and if government does not respond timely on this matter and will continue his delay further on this. This will result huge financial and economic loss to the poor farmers of the region and farmers will left with no choice but to go back to the normal Paddy (Parmal).

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Anilesh S Mahajan TNN :Fazilka/Chandigarh: Call centres are definitely proving a boon for farmers in far off villages where technology and its advantages may otherwise never reach them. In a similar effort started six months back, though a far cry from swanky settings but nonetheless effective, NRIturned-farmer Vikram Ahuja caters to needs of the farming community from his dusty office on the outskirts of Fazilka in Ferozpur district. Farmers from around this town and neighbouring areas of Rajasthan call on 9915184000 and are attended to by five people employed at the call centre running from the first floor of Ahuja’s Zamindara’s Farm Solutions. ‘‘It is high time we connect the laptop with agriculture for a good market,’’ says Ahuja. Equipped with five computers running on Pentium II and old-fashioned headphones, this centre has reportedly become very popular among farmers. Vikas Rai, a farmer of Nehal Khehra village near Abohar says, ‘‘I was suggested laser-levelling in my field and it has benefited me more than traditional levelling methods. And the solution was just a call away,’’ says a happy Rai. While word of mouth has familiarised farmers with this call centre, the local media has also played a positive role, says Ahuja. Apart from catering to individual farmers, this centre reportedly outsources its services to farm products producer group Haryali and it has also done a pilot project with Punjab Agro and Punjab agriculture department. ‘‘We guide farmers to opt for citrus farming, horticulture, cotton, wheat and use of agritools for special work. I got the database from US, Italy and other European countries. With the help of government machinery, I hope to help the local farming community,’’ says Ahuja. Starting with minimum infrastructure, Ahuja is glad to say, ‘‘We get calls from Ganganagar and Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. Most farmers have small problems and with better communication, call centres like ours will really benefit them.’’ It is a free of cost service, which Vikram has initiated for farmers of this backward and border area of Fazilka Abohar and neighbouring areas. In my various trips to abroad I have seen that technology is giving a big boost to various fields, then why not in farming, saidVikram. “ It is quick, fast and free of cost for farmers. I am focusing on reducing input costs of farmer, I advice them to rent tools rather than buying them, and use a technique, which is best suited.’’

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Fazilka is setting up new trends in Indian History. First time people of Fazilka came forward to protect their heritage monuments linked with historic Importance of Fazilka. Fazilka is a historical town, established by Britisher Mr. Van Pat Agnew in the year 1844. Since its inception many historical monuments are being built here, important one is Fazilka’s City Centre, Ram Narayan Pediwal Clock Tower.Mission started by Graduates Welfare Association Fazilka (GWAF)on 30th June 2007 along with Press Club Fazilka, Pediwal Trust and Pediwal Family (Family who established clock tower), Manav Kalyan Sabha, Bharat Vikas Parishad, Municipal Council Fazilka. Arya Samaj and many other volunteer people and organisation are taking its shape. Bajran Gupta, ex-president Municipal Council fazilka contributed special role to execute the same.Opinion from Berger India, Nerolack Paints Asian Paints and Snowcem Paints were called. Snowcem paints were shortlisted for the final execution of the Work. They will not just paint the structure but will protect the monument. Mr. J. S. Saini and Mr V.Lakhanpal from Snowcem India Paints taken up this project around month back and they have developed four different models to paint and protect this historical clock Tower Fazilka. Apart from business angle Snowcem India people personally providing their full technical support as a part of their business social responsibly.Ram Narayan Pediwal Clock Tower Fazilka Inaugurated on 6th June 1939. Since then, this is adding beauty to the city skyline. Two of this type clock towers are built in the world, another one is in the Lyallpur Pakistan. Due to poor maintenance by Municipal Council Fazilka and political negligence after militancy era in punjab. This structure was losing its charm. With this initiative, this small town is setting trends for the rest of the world.Through online and offline methods, polling will be conducted to take peoples opinion for the most suited colour scheme on this structure. These online polls will be available on the Fazilka website www.lovefazilka.esmartweb.comTalking to media persons, Mr. Sushil Pediwal, Member Pediwal Trust Fazilka said “our culture and heritage is our pride and these historical monuments link us with the past legacy set by our elders, we must protect the same for our future generations”.Dr Bhupinder Singh and Mr. Umesh Kukkar, founder members of GWAF are appealing to the entire citizen to participate in this campaign. After clock tower, historical Asafwala War Memorial built in the memory of Indian martyrs of 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak war shall be taken up.Some trees were planted in the periphery area of the clock tower, Navdeep Asija, Geotechnical Engineer submitted the report to Municipal Council Fazilka for replanting these tress to somewhere else. Roots of these trees are disturbing the stability of this structure by developing crack in raft foundation of the structure. Ornamental trees shall be planted in the periphery area, which will add beauty to this structure. This entire execution shall be done under the supervision of Navdeep Asija. This will be ready before diwali.

Beautiful Fazilka

Fazilite Network..

About Fazilka...

160 year old historical town Fazilka of District Ferozepur, also known as Bangla, is located in southwestern Punjab (INDIA), about 325 kms west of Punjab State Capital Chandigarh, 85 km south-west of the district headquarters, Ferozepur and 200 km south of Amritsar. Fazilka is on India -Pakistan border and is 11 km off the international border with Pakistan. It is situated on the rice growing and cotton rich belt of the state and is one of the major rice exporting centers in India. Before partition, the town was the biggest wool market in undivided Punjab.

Fazilka’s origin dates back to AD 1844. It was established by Mr. Oliver and was christened after the original owner of the land, Mian Fazil Watoo. The first railway line through the town was setup in AD 1898 on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the accession of Queen Victoria. Being at the border, Fazilka also had to bear the brunt of the two Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971.

The famous ‘Tosha’ sweets have its origin in Fazilka. The first single cylinder steam ship in the world, Fazilka, was named after this town. Fazilka is also home to the second biggest TV tower in Asia, which stands at 305 m above the ground.
Amritsar International Airport and Ludhiana Domestic Airport serves Fazilka. Fazilka Railway Station is located on Abhor- Ferozepur Region of Northern Railways. National Highway 10 passes through Fazilka.

Geography & Demography of the City:

As of 2001 India census,Fazilka had a population of 67,424. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Fazilka has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 62%. In Fazilka, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age